Willow Aull, age 6, climbs for the top at the fair. She and her family come every year. (Corinne Smith/KHNS)

The Southeast Alaska State Fair is taking place in Haines this weekend, after a year of hiatus due to the COVID pandemic. As KHNS’ Corinne Smith reports, many returned for live music, food, rides and family fun.

 

Friday at the Southeast Alaska State Fair started out foggy and a bit sleepy. Vendors, volunteers and early fair-goers return for a second day of festivities. A group of kids take a ride in the fair train around the grounds. Families start to arrive with some kids already in face-paint in costumes. At the Paysons Pavilion main stage, mother-daughter duo Lori and Emily Marvin sing and play acoustic guitar. 

The Skagway-based band New Twin is completing sound check. They’ve played the fair many times, but this year they’ll be playing original music from a new EP titled ‘Undiscover’ recorded throughout the pandemic winter. Singer and guitarist James Watson says they’re just happy to be back at the fair. 

“Yeah we’re excited to be in Haines,” Watson said. “We love all the musicians here, we’re excited to meet some new people and check out some new bands. Our Skagway scene is kinda small, so it’s exciting to get out a little bit and share out music and get some music in return.”

Siblings Hunter, 7 and Raven, 2, take a break of fair games to marvel at a dragonfly (Corinne Smith/KHNS)

By one o’clock the sun is breaking through the clouds and many more people arrive. The merry-go-round is in full swing, and kids try their skills at carnival games. There is a 50 foot tall tower with a rock climbing wall, and a long slide from the top. 

Below, sisters Juniper and Willow Aull, age 9 and 6 are getting ready to ascend. 

“I’m going to be climbing the rock wall,” Juniper said. “And I hope I can ring the bell because last time I wasn’t able to because I was like three. 

Their dad Jared and toddler sister cheer them on, “There ya go, come on baby!”

Their mom is Deborah Aull, bassist and vocalist in the California-based rock group  The Lack Family. The three sisters and their parents tour around the world, but come back to Haines to play the fair  every year. I catch up with Deborah at the Lack Family booth, as The Fishpickers play in the background. 

“It’s such a treat, like I feel like we’re back with friends and family, like a big reunion,” Aull said. “So I’m very thankful.”

They haven’t been touring much in the last year. Instead, they , bought a camper van and  live-streamed their gigs. 

“So we would find beautiful places and National Parks and stuff, and play music. And it was really cool, because we still weren’t around anybody, but we were able to travel. And people were writing us all the time like hey, you don’t know how much you’ve helped us get through COVID….it was cool, a lot of work, but by the end of the year we were like, wow, that was something else.”

The Lack Family will play at 9pm Friday at the Fogcutter Bar in downtown Haines, and at the main stage at 7pm Saturday night, and Sunday at noon they’ll be doing a Gospel hour.. The Southeast Alaska State Fair wraps up at 4pm on Sunday. For the full schedule see seakfair.org.